1971 — Boxer Arnold Taylor wins the first of five fights in Melbourne, beating Filipino Willie Cordova on points, to get his erratic career back on track. His four-month stint in Australia, during which he rejected the idea of emigrating, helped set him up for his famous world title shot in 1973.
1980 — Gysie Pienaar makes his Springbok debut, coming on as a replacement for fullback Pierre Edwards in the second Test against South America in Durban. The home side won the match 18-9, with captain Morne du Plessis scoring the only try, and Naas Botha adding the conversion, three drop goals and a penalty. Pienaar, the father of future World Cup-winning Bok Ruan, went on to play a starring role for the Springboks in the series against the British and Irish Lions later in the year.
2005 — Every player, including wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, gets a chance to bowl at the West Indies in the final fourth Test at St John’s. With Chris Gayle scoring 317 and three other batsmen making centuries, the hosts eventually scored 747 for a first-innings lead of 159 on the final fifth day. Boucher even took a wicket, dismissing Dwayne Bravo for 107. The match ended in a draw, with SA claiming the series 2-0.
2008 — Amputee Natalie du Toit misses the podium by less than a second in the 10km race at the open water swimming world championships in Seville. She clocked 2hr 02 min 07.8 sec to end fourth behind third-placed Spanish competitor Yurema Requena in 2:02:07.2, but her performance secured her a spot at the Olympic Games in Beijing later that year. Russia’s multiple world champion Larisa Ilchenko won in 2:02:02.7 and Briton Cassandra Patten took silver in 2:02:05.8. Ilchenko went on to win Olympic gold a few months later and Patten the bronze. That was Du Toit’s best result in the aquatic marathon, a discipline that made its Olympic debut in 2008.
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